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Politics is Local, so Get Political Locally

NYLXS,
the New York Linux Scene, has a tradition of political
action in the defense of free software and digital property rights.
Since its inception, shortly after the terrorist attack on New York
City, NYLXS has come to recognize that, like any other industry, we
need to have effective representation in the halls of Congress and
within the executive branch of government. To this end, NYLXS has
supported New Yorkers for Fair Use and has taken independent
political action, such as local lobbying, to lay the foundation for
a secure future. What we've learned from our efforts is that those
who wish to work with free software in the future need some basic
education in the political process and the issues that threaten our
ability to work with free software and our overall freedom as
citizens.

Recently, we've made several calls to hire a professional
lobbying body in Washington DC. Lobbies can be useful for promoting
an organization's political agenda, but in our case, it seems
prudent to get our ducks in order at home first—before we waste
valuable resources in Washington.

People come to the Free Software movement for a variety of
reasons. Except for the most politically active members among us,
the main reason is an attraction to the soundness of the technology
and the freedom to access the computer systems we use. Another
compelling reason is the economic incentives it can provide
disenfranchised individuals as well as large businesses. It's a
testimony to our current freedoms that we come to free software
without a second thought to the underlining principles that allow
for the existence of such systems. In our work promoting free
software, we've been surprised how often, even in our own circles,
there exists huge resistance to anything political or the least bit
distasteful. As a population, we have learned to be skeptical of
politicians and stubbornly apolitical.

The reality of our current political situation is far more
dangerous than most people are willing to admit. In our work, we've
learned it's not possible to keep a narrow focus on only free
software issues. We also must deal with the nature of digital
communications and its relationship with the public. Specifically,
NYLXS has found that the efforts of the Copyright Monopoly Industry
to restrict the use of digital systems to protect their normal
business interests has broad political implications. As our society
is rapidly moving into the digital age, this is no doubt the first
battle. The basic foundation of our future democratic freedoms is
being built now. Yet, the general public is asleep at the wheel. At
this point, one of the best things proponents of free software can
do is raise the profile of the issue with the public. Fortunately
for us, we are taking on the media industry and, if we do things
correctly, we can simply ride Jack Valenti's coattails.

But the first step toward political action and the defense of
free software doesn't fall on Richard Stallman, the EFF or OSI. No
lobby can represent us effectively until those who use free
software actually get their representatives to work for our
interests. It's really that simple. The US government is made up of
three branches, and we have only one nationally elected official.
After this, we have 435 elected officials in the House of
Representatives. These locally elected officials round out to a
representation of less than 700,000 people per representative,
although in practice representatives in populous states normally
represent more people. In addition, we have 100 US Senators, who
also are elected on the local level. We also have a large number of
elected officials on the state and local level who have a large
swath of guaranteed powers, including control of education programs
and local communication network policies. To sum up this civics
lesson, almost all politics in the USE are local matters. Our
political system is designed to keep political power at home, not
inside the Washington DC beltway.

Members of Congress and local officials respond most to
issues that effect the people back home. Your job as part of the
Free Software community is to raise the issues in your home
districts. Without the threat of political awareness in their
backyard, members of Congress are free to cut whatever deals they
want in DC. If the public is apathetic at home, businesses and
business lobbies have the overwhelming advantage. First, they are
well funded because they are businesses. Second, they control the
press, and members of Congress need the press. Finally, they can
make large political contributions our movement can't match. But
it's important to realize that despite all these advantages, the
Copyright Industry does not represent any major grassroots
constituency. As such, they are paper tigers that can be defeated
easily if an organization is prepared to do the work needed to
influence national policy.

The first step toward getting things done is to get your own
house in order. Politicize your local computer groups. Don't flinch
from making the political imperatives of protecting the fundamental
rights needed for free software's survival a top priority of your
user group's mission. If you're not prepared to accept the
challenge of protecting the basic freedoms needed to ensure the
future of free software, uninhibited by wiretapping and censorship,
then you need to step aside. There are plenty of Radio Controlled
Model Airplane groups around for you to exercise your interest in
technology. Free software is serious business, and we need people
committed to the general principles of freedom in the digital
age.

What makes free software important is not that we can tinker
with it like a hobby horse, although this activity is one that we
hope to protect. Free software is the bellwether for our basic
political freedom in the digital age. As such, every users group
meeting should include an update on important political events.
Every technical presentation needs to begin with an explanation as
to why it's significant that the project was developed using free
software. People who complain that you're over-politicizing need to
be challenged. They need to be told, flat out and without excuses,
that we act in a political fashion because our existence is being
threatened by government policy, including the 1998 Digital
Millennium Copyright Act, which can end all free software
tomorrow.

The next step is to get your organization involved with the
political process. This will upset a great many people, because
people inexperienced with the political process fail to understand
its raucous nature. Public discourse often can be contentious and
confrontational, and most people don't like to be in that
situation. A great deal of money and political rights are at stake
with these discussions. Be prepared to be forceful in your points
and to be challenged thoroughly by your political opponents. Your
object is to win, and your opponent's object is to win. You have
right on your side, but they have good arguments and issues on
their side as well. Be ready to defend your rights articulately and
forcefully, and don't expect them to pull out the chair for
you.

Finally, back up your efforts at discourse with political
action. At least once a month, your organization should plan a
community-wide activity designed to enhance the profile of fair use
and digital rights issues with the public. Expand your constituency
at these affairs by including librarians, educators, government
officials and industrial leaders. Reach out to local religious
leaders, churches and community groups, and make the needed
presentations to these constituencies. Knock on doors and give out
pamphlets in business districts. Even monthly activities can have a
large impact. And don't forget to involve the local press. Find the
names and addresses of the editorial staffs. Meet with local beat
reporters and do interviews. Alert them to your planned actions.
Contact the public to act for a specific action or purpose. Ask
them to write their local representatives on the issue of fair use.
Tell them you want to protect libraries in the digital age from
unfair rights abuses by industry and the government. Try to commit
them on the spot. Have literature and buttons ready, and make sure
there is contact information in the literature.

Finally, don't forget the elections. This year your
representative is up for election. Tell them they need to support
freedom for digital communications, or you're going to vote against
them. You want their support, and this is not negotiable.

During the Libre Software Meeting in Bordeaux, France last
month, exciting technical meetings and separate political meetings
were held. They offered high quality presentations on a number of
important technical subjects. Unfortunately, the two tracts were
far too separated. Technical meetings drew in IT students and
professionals from all over Europe, but these people simply skipped
the legal and political discussions. We gave away the store and
failed to charge admission. If we are going to continue to provide
high quality technical discussions at little or no charge, it's our
duty to make sure that every eager beaver understands the basic
political causes that make these technologies available. They need
to know that the very discussion of these issues may be considered
a felony in the future. If we're spending 100,000s of Euros or
dollars to make these presentations, there has to be a pay off for
the movement.

Without this level of support from the home district, it's
not sensible to hire lobbyists in Washington. If we are determined
to be ineffective at the ballot box and we can't outspend our
opponents, then politicians will ignore the representatives
lobbying for us in Washington. Unfortunately, there is no silver
bullet here. We must do the work at home. Not only is free software
free as in freedom and not free as in beer, this kind of freedom is
not cheap.